We’re back with an updated-for-2024 version of our popular team blog on the mobile apps that the movers and shakers at Camber Creative can’t get enough of. A lot has changed in the last 2 years, but one thing about team Camber rings true: we are as passionate and thoughtful about the digital experiences we build for our clients as we are about the digital experiences we seamlessly integrate into our personal lives.

Once again, we hit the Slack streets to discover what kind of mobile app experiences have been rocking our colleagues’ socks off in 2024.

Spencer Leopold - Senior Engineer II / Note Taker & Redditor

Apple Notes / Reddit / (Not) NextDoor

“The notes app is my go-to. Besides reddit I don’t use, or at least try not to use, many others. I recently gave in and installed the NextDoor app and I hate it. It’s so much worse knowing these idiotic posts/comments are from my neighbors and not random anonymous users. Hoping most are still bots tbh.”

Our Take

As fellow Apple Notes users, we concur! From itinerary lists for traveling to Egypt and organizing found recipes to sketching ideas for campaigns and compiling industry website links, the “notes app” is a simple, versatile, and very helpful tool for personal and professional use. Reddit is our favorite go-to mobile app for an eclectic mix of entertainment and knowledge. We’re big fans of the structure of the app and flow of information!

Brice Gramm - CEO / Still Very Cool Boss 

Twodos

“Super opinionated, minimalist to-do app by an indie maker; almost nothing to it, but managed to capture interest with a simple concept (do it now or do it soon) and nice design and interaction details, including delightful sound and haptic design.”

mymind

“Another indie maker app, this time cross-platform with really useful extensions. This has become my “save anything” app. The thing I love most about this one is that everything I save to mymind gets metadata added to it, including ai generated metadata, that helps me find exactly what I’m looking for, even if I only remember and search for fuzzy details about.”

ChatGPT

“I’ve mapped the advanced voice mode to my iPhone action button and now my preferred choice for lots of daily queries over Siri or Google. Of course, I pay for the more advanced models, so the knowledge cutoff and user experience are much better than the free models. I’m very interested to see how Siri compares after Apple Intelligence with OpenAI debuts.”

YouTube Music

“Controversial take on this one, but I dumped Spotify Premium because YouTube Music is included in YouTube Premium, which I find to be a better value bundle than Spotify Premium at a similar price point. It’s really nice having ad-free YouTube in addition to a perfectly decent music streaming alternative to Spotify.”

Our Take

*Adds mymind and Twodos to our to-be-downloaded list. *

ChatGPT is a helpful tool for all things work and play, and we too are curious to see how Apple Intelligence stacks up! While we are Spotify (free) users, we appreciate this hot take re: YouTube Music. ASMR before bed would probably be a lot easier!

Aliya Al-Balooshi - Growth Strategist II / Long Distance Lover

Cozy Couples

“My boyfriend lives in Egypt, and while I split my time between California and Cairo, we use a really sweet app called Cozy Couples to stay even more connected (can you believe that’s even possible?). The app has a really intuitive flow that allows users to tap around and interact with their own cozy room featuring a cat (or dog if you earn coins to unlock it!) and a bonsai tree that both require care to stay alive - like relationships. Cozy Couples has daily diary questions for both partners to answer, cute quizzes that allow us to connect and learn more about each other, and the ability to send virtual gifts and affection. The UX is structured soundly and beautifully, making the app an extra delight to open every day!” 

Our Take

Very demure, very mindful. We may be biased, but the Cozy Couples app is great for both long distance lovers and couples who live together! Keep connected when you’re apart and nurture your love.

Erik Jenks - Rails Wizard / Mind-Mapper

Obsidian 

“Obsidian is my go-to, catch all app. Sort of like Notion but extremely extensible and has many 3rd party open-source extensions. I use it for to-dos, note taking, mind mapping, etc.”

Our Take

Obsidian is an extremely scalable and fluid app that allows users to really build their own world of thinking and visualize how their thoughts are connected to one another. A great tool for both personal and professional use, we stan!

Chris Sobray - Product Manager / Self-Proclaimed Google Fanboy

Monarch Mobile

“This is probably my most used app. I was a huge Mint user for years until they got sunset so I transferred all my transaction history into Monarch. The ability to view my spending trends over time and track things like budgets and debt paydown is just awesome. The interface is super intuitive while very robust with tons of data and trending insights. Shows me how much money I spend on stupid stuff I don't need. Also looks great on mobile and tablet. Mobile apps are nearly as powerful as web apps even.

Wunderground Weather App

“Pretty old and outdated app but shows me the details I want to see about the weather. Graphs for wind direction, precipitation estimates, temperature and all. The ads suck but for how simple the app is, I use it so very much. Yes, I'm also 90 years old.”

Google Keep

“Super simple note app that's literally just glorified post it notes. You can draw on notes, have checklists, trigger based on location, etc.. I like that I can add items to lists from my google home and access lists on my watch as well. I keep track of chores, packing lists, show watchlists, almost everything in there.”

Our Take

We are all for any app that can seamlessly help its users manage their budget and make the best financial decisions - in this economy?! We can use all the help we can get. We’ll definitely be checking out Monarch Mobile after having a so-so experience using the Albert app.

Listen, when it comes to old, you know what they say “If ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” and we certainly don’t mind an old school app like the Wunderground app that does what it says, no frills, no fluff. Google Keep is a simple way to organize your notes seamlessly and efficiently. 10/10!

Carla Shaw - VP, Growth & Client Success / Melomaniac

Shazam

Shazam is the hardest working app on all my mobile devices. If you are a music buff and music collector, like I am, you NEED this app. And if you have the app you already know it’s a powerhouse for locating unknown songs for download. My Apple playlist is loaded with songs I have Shazam’d from TV shows, restaurants, commercials, Karaoke, Podcasts, walking on the street… you name it I’ve probably Shazam’d there. The interface is fast, user friendly and can find virtually ANY song. Shazam has been around since 2002 and was acquired by Apple in 2018. Which has made it even more integrated with the Apple Store for downloading songs.

Our Take

Shazam is the OG music-finder that we still can’t get enough of. It's simple, straightforward user interface makes becoming a music connoisseur easy. Shazam will always be a staple tool in our belt for music discovery!

Download Now

From tried-and-true weather apps and simple notes to more integrated mind mapping and the freshest in AI technology, our team stays circulating innovative and useful apps in their daily lives. Curious to see how we weave our passion for mobile apps into the work we do for our clients? Check out our client work, learn more about our mobile app development offerings, and drop us a line when you’re ready to connect with our small batch team of movers and shakers!